


the lost prince

by YAMAGUWUCHI



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys Kissing, Gay, Happy Ending, Kissing, Light Angst, Lowercase, M/M, Mild Gore, Mild Language, better than the summary i promise !, mention of suicide, stabbing n shit, tommy is here but i dont mention him by name
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:02:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27666515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YAMAGUWUCHI/pseuds/YAMAGUWUCHI
Summary: the world knew his face.so he wore a stained green hoodie, the cheapest thing he owned, and a smiling mask hooked behind his head.the world would never see his face again.-in which four people come to love, though differently, in a land filled with darkness, whilst trying to find the light.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound, Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 9
Kudos: 316





	the lost prince

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh i’m so proud of this one :D hope you enjoy :)) 
> 
> also, i’m bad a summarizing, sorry :|

across the nation, parties and celebrations were held in the ruler to be's honor. 

he was just born, and news from the castle spread quickly to neighboring towns, even the quiet, hidden villages found out within less of a week since his birth. 

clay never wanted to be king. 

from a very young age, he spent hours of the day learning to be proper, how to handle the weight of the world in his hands. 

at night, he crept to his father's study, listening to him and his kings-guard, and their plans to scour the land, looking for the towns in hiding because of the cruel king's wrath. 

at night, after hearing dozens of words he wouldn't understand until years later, he crept up to his parents bedroom, and listened to his mother read him stories with simple words. he listened to her say she dreamt of clay, dreamt of him being the new king, a proper king. 

at night, on clay's sixteenth birthday, with a dictionary filled with circled words he had since he was ten, crept outside of the castle, past the knight who was dozing against the barrier wall, into the forest, as dream. 

the world knew his face. 

so he wore a stained green hoodie, the cheapest thing he owned, and a smiling mask hooked behind his head. 

the world would never see his face again. 

dream didn't know what it was like to have to look for food, for a place to sleep. he had packed a separate bag of food, but not knowing how to ration, it was gone within a week. 

clay was taught the art of the sword, as all previous kings were. dream offered villages protection for a few months at a time, in place of food and shelter. the townsfolk were always quick to agree, because they had lost too many at the hands of the unknown. 

dream met george when he was eighteen. 

george came from a hidden village, placed halfway up a mountain where the knights did not have the proper ways to climb. 

the hidden villages thrived on their own, didn't need the so-called care packages given from the castle very few times a year, filled with stale bread and almost rotten meat. they couldn't afford the harsh taxes, couldn't offer the king anything in return to lower them. 

the hidden villages had been made by many families coming together, and george remembered being very young, holding his father's hand as they struggled through snow and slippery ground up the mountain. 

he remembered helping build the cabins, or at least trying to with his little hands, and he remembered feeding and naming the livestock he would ultimately have to eat. 

george was gifted with a cleric's magic, and he had found dream a bloody mess on his way to collect mushrooms from the dark forest miles away, where the tip of the mountain he lived was barely visible. 

despite the unnerving, wide smile on the mask, george had an instinct to help people. even if this masked figure was stabbed, which surely meant he was trouble, he still rummaged through his bag for bandages and a health potion. 

dream, through his hazy state, barely registered his head being lifted and a bottle to his lips, but he felt his mouth fill with sweetness, coughed before swallowing, and passed out. 

george bandaged him up, though he couldn't just leave him there. but hauling a fully grown man up a mountain? there was no way that was happening. 

george stayed with him. he set up a little camp, figured he could get some rest before, hopefully, setting off soon with a companion at his side. 

the companion was a mystery. george was tempted to reach under the mask, lift it just a bit, and he almost had. his hand was already reaching, fingers trembling in the way where he knew it was a bad idea, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. 

a hand caught his wrist. he'd nearly screamed, flinching back, though still being held in place by the stranger beneath him. 

"it's rude to do things without asking," the stranger said with an accent unfamiliar to george. no one in his village spoke like that. 

george had gasped, shook his arm out of the other's grip, and tried to justify his snooping, "i should at least be able to see the person's face i just wasted a health potion on!"

dream struggled to pull himself up, and despite george acting offended, he was quick to help him. 

"i didn't ask you to waste your potion," dream said, reaching to his right where his sword lay, sheathing it back into the place on his belt. 

george had flinched back again at the motion, and dream couldn't help but chuckle. 

when dream was finally back to his senses, fully awake and past the shock of getting jumped, and only a dull pain thrumming in his stomach, he whined and complained about his favorite hoodie now ruined. 

in the weeks to follow, george would grow fond of the little whines dream would make, chuckling and smiling, but now it was only infuriating. 

they had exchanged names, but the elder wished they hadn't. 

"george," dream huffed, elongating the name and making his voice pitch higher, "you should've just left me to die! i cant ever get another like this!" 

"will you shut up?" george snapped, packing the last of his things up from the camp he'd barely used. "i'll sew it for you, okay? just please be quiet!" 

"really? oh my god, george, i love you!" 

george wondered how the younger could just say that so easily, like he didn't have to worry about getting attached to people and have them leave in a moments notice, sent off because of the king and never to return. 

the two walked together, the dense forest's trees in view. it was quiet, unnervingly so. george wondered what happened to the boisterous man from minutes ago. 

dream had realized, when he first left the castle, that he had to constantly be aware of his surroundings. 

because, for one, knights were always looking for the missing prince, believing he was kidnapped and the king would soon receive a ransom note for the return of him. 

but two years later, the lost prince was claimed to be dead. 

the king couldn't believe it though. he had to have the prince take over, because surely his daughter was unfit for the role. 

dream felt bad, sometimes, thinking back on how he left his sister alone, his mother too. but he couldn't go back now, not ever again. 

and two, people were constantly looking to smuggle, get something to eat, and the shiny sword on dream's hip would wager a lot of money. 

dream wondered why it still laid at his side when he woke. 

so, dream was always quiet when on the move, eyes raking his surroundings constantly, ears listening to every step, every eerie noise, waiting for when to reach for his weapon and strike. 

-

dream was warmly welcomed into george’s village. he had offered protection, but george immediately scolded him and rushed him to a bed where he could rest. 

george spent most of his time in the cleric’s tower, abandoned years ago after the first cleric went to collect supplies and had never returned. 

george was only in the beginnings of his training at that point, but the dozens of books and journals helped exponentially in his studies. 

he brewed a few more health potions, enough to have dream up and without aid within a week’s time. 

during that week, dream had felt something he hadn’t since he lived in the castle. 

he felt like a burden. 

someone was constantly attending to him, needing their help for basic tasks. 

but when he could finally sit up by himself, he didn’t want to leave. he didn’t know the innings of this village, they could all be horrible criminals, but dream wanted to stay. 

he blamed it on george. he was the only person he saw in that week he needed detrimental care, and he was the reason he got so attached. 

they became close, as close as two could whilst one continued studying and the other laid in bed with occasional pain leading to quiet crying. but they shared jokes, wheezes that made dream’s stomach hurt worse, but he didn’t mind if he got to see the smile on the other’s face. 

he’d never felt this warm around someone before. at the castle, he was closed off to anyone besides family and the older workers, because it was his father’s job to decide who he’d share the kingdom with. 

his father definitely wouldn’t have approved of george. 

but that was all who dream wanted. 

\- 

the alarm bell rang, villagers dashed into their houses. 

dream ran out, bow already notched, watching as familiar guards on steeds rode up the sides of the mountain. 

he didn't give them any time to negotiate unethical terms, his arrows meeting skin of the people he grew up around, who taught him how to wield the weapon he killed them with. 

the remaining guards threw the torches they carried in open windows, on porches, through doors left open in the town folks haste to hide inside. 

they burnt the village to the ground. 

dream had rushed into the cleric's tower, where george had been brewing the last of dream's health potions when the bell had been rung. 

dream dragged george out by his wrist, bags slung over each of their shoulders, always packed because they knew this would happen one day. 

they tried to save anyone they could, but smoke burned their eyes, fire scorched their skin, and they had to run from the screaming, dying town before they too were amongst them. 

-

the shock never fully set in. 

they ran until the smoke in the sky dwindled from their vision, down the mountain and into the forest they’d visited the first day they met. 

it was barely two weeks ago, but they were the closest friends either of them have had. 

the screams resonated in their minds until their legs collapsed on the ground, and they messily made a camp for the night. the screams filled their dreams. 

but the shock never fully set in. 

they were affected by it, but they knew it would happen, perceived it in many different ways. it was ingrained into their minds as normalcy. 

george was told, and repeatedly told, by his father to never get comfortable, always keep his valuables close by, because the cruel king would give no mercy. 

george was alone by the time he was twelve, his father on a journey to a hellscape land. he never returned. 

he wasn’t close to anyone in the village, his father his only friend, but they gratefully kept him around due to him being young and being the closest thing to a cleric they could get. 

dream had never witnessed a raid. he had heard plenty about them, from the knights coming back to the castle after participating in one, their armour and weapons stained with innocents blood. he’s heard stories from the villages he had passed through, families still mourning and preparing for the next one bound to come. 

he knew he would be apart of one someday. 

-

"you're never going to show me your face, are you?" george had asked one night weeks later, each of them laying against opposite sides of the same tree. 

dream had sighed, george could hear his legs moving against the grass, probably to bring his knees up to his chin like he did when he had a lot on his mind. 

"you won't like what's underneath the mask, george," he said, voice soft and sad, like he could already see george's horrified face if he were to take it off. 

"how do you know that?" george asked. 

“trust me.” 

“how do i trust someone when i don’t even know what they look like?” it was a lie, they both knew it, but it pierced dream’s heart, point like a newly crafted arrowhead. 

dream didn’t reply, and george couldn’t think of a way to apologize. 

they were back to their normal bickering mess come morning. 

\- 

they met sapnap drowning at dawn, weighted down by his own mind and the rocks filling his pockets. 

dream had half a mind to leave him there, because saving a man wanting to die would only bring him more despair. 

george was the one to dive into the river and pull him up, only knowing he was still alive by the few bubbles rising to the surface and the low hum of his heart heard when george pressed his ear to the other's chest. 

sapnap had coughed and coughed, and he cried and yelled at george, hitting his chest and wondering why he couldn't just die. 

"sh," dream had soothed him, kneeling down and rubbing his back like a mother would, like his mother had. it was an instinctual move, one that surprised both dream and george, but he kept whispering sweet little things and rubbing the soaked fabric. 

\- 

sapnap was quiet. not in the way that dream would close his mouth and open his ears to be able to react at any moment, but in a way neither of the two could relate to. 

they barely got his name out of him before he closed himself off again, sinking back into unwanted but intoxicating thoughts. 

but despite their annoyance of sapnap shutting himself out, dream and george didn’t want to leave him out of their sights. 

they continued their schedule of shift changing, but kept one eye on the younger as he’d sleep, ready to rouse him from the nightmares as soon as a whimper slipped through his lips. 

he was so very quiet, but so very loud in the most eccentric of ways, like he was afraid to speak but couldn’t help the excitedness escaping his mouth as he saw something that fascinated him, pointing and hitting the others arms so they would see it, too. 

sapnap was slow in opening himself up, but as the weeks progressed and the only company he had were george and dream and the lands they scoured, he grew comfortable in their presence. 

-

sapnap was awoken by a grumbling sound. it was quiet, off in the distance, but he had became a very light sleeper over the years. 

whatever it was, dream would handle it. 

sapnap tried falling back asleep, but the noise grew closer, and dream hadn’t shifted an inch. 

it was when the creature snarled, about to pass the tree line of their camp, was when sapnap jumped up, grabbing the sword held loosely in dream’s limp hand, and killing the thing before it got any closer. 

dream was startled awake by the movement, ready to strangle a smuggler for trying to take his possession. 

the view he was met with shocked him. 

“are you dumb?” sapnap had shouted, face growing red as his anger rose. “aren’t you supposed to be on watch right now? aren’t you always shushing george because you have to ‘listen?’” 

his yelling woke the oldest, and he was groggily getting up before seeing the dead creature, and he instantly bolted upright and behind a tree at the sight of it. 

“it’s dead, george,” sapnap spoke calmer this time, but the grip on dream’s sword showed how he still felt. 

“w-what happened?” george asked hesitantly, afraid of being washed up with the very prominent tension floating in the air. 

sapnap never seemed to be quiet after that, always quick to jibe the other two with witty remarks, yell at their stupidity. it he was quiet, they knew to worry. 

-

they met karl whilst he was running through the woods, a trail of knights a little ways back, their armour glinting in the morning light. 

dream was always quick to react. he had grabbed karl's arm, snapped his own hand to karl’s mouth to quiet the shout that was sure to come, and held him against his chest, dream's back against a tree. 

"listen," dream whispered, "i'm going to lift you and you're going to reach that branch and stay up there, and you're not going to make a sound, got it?" 

karl nodded furiously, afraid what his fate would be if he denied. 

dream seemed to have a different aura as he met with the knights under the cruel king. the same look washed over his face from when they came and burned george’s village. 

it was terrifying to watch him step out from behind the tree, sword already clenched in his hand. his mask was down, but george, who had struggled up his own tree with sapnap following, seemed to know his exact expression without ever seeing his true face. 

the knights spotted him, they stopped. it took several minutes for either of them to say anything, having a stare down to see who would swing first. 

“we’ve heard about the man in the mask,” one of the knight’s said, words twinged with an accent familiar to george’s. he looked young, short blonde hair, though taller than any of them. 

“oh yeah?” dream began, “what’d you hear?” 

“he slaughtered every knight at some village. never thought i’d meet the big man in person,” the young one continued with a kind of smirk on his face. the man beside him seemed too afraid to speak. 

“and why are you out here so far away from your precious king?” he wanted to change the subject away from george’s village, away from the memories that would surely be lurking back into the older’s brain by now. 

but it was true. the outskirts of the kingdom was coming to a close, only a few more miles ahead and they’d be away forever. it was odd for knights to venture so far out in the woods, because usually all they were good for was collecting tax from villages and burning them down if each of their hands didn’t have a stack of coins in it, much more than what the people were expected to give. 

“the king hasn’t had entertainment for awhile. wanted us to track down some smuggler to behead. got a hefty reward for him, too.” 

the words made dream sick to his stomach, brought him back to the remnants of clay, where his father had forced him down in the stands and made him watch dozens of poor people punished far worse than they deserved. 

“you see him around?” the other knight finally spoke, voice higher though seeming to be older. 

they had to be speaking of the man dream made hide in the trees, and he was glad he wasn’t helping a murderer. 

“no, i haven’t. saw a few skeletons awhile back, though. treetops saving them from the sun.” 

it was a lie, the men hiding in the trees knew it was a lie, but dream knew all the weaknesses of the men working in the kingdom. the knights couldn’t handle bows, rarely carried shields, and were too afraid to face any creature of the unknown, especially skeletons. 

“why don’t you come back to the castle with us, big man?” the tall one spoke again. dream wondered where the nickname came from. “so we don’t cause anymore trouble.” 

“and what will my punishment be, huh? the king would love seeing me tortured for killing his finest knights.” 

“he’d start with taking off that mask,” the other one hurried towards him with quick steps, sword held at an odd angle, like he wasn’t given enough training to be sent off yet. 

dream always waited. he always waited till they made the first move, the first mark on his skin. the knight’s sword sliced his arm, and dream’s sword plunged into his stomach. 

“yo!” the tall one said, backing off, “what the fuck!?” 

“he came at me first,” dream said, tone unwavering and unnerving. the man fell off his weapon, red tainting the light blue. he stepped forwards. “you better tell your king that dream is expecting him.” 

an empty threat, but the knight didn’t know that. he was at a loss for words, but managed to nod before running off. 

dream sighed and looked to the blade in his hand, “fucking hate washing off blood,” he mumbled before turning around to walk back to the men hiding in the branches and leaves. 

“jesus, dream!” george was the first one on the ground, bag already slung off his shoulder to rummage for bandages. 

sapnap followed, keeping his distance, knowing how fussy george got when one of them got hurt. 

the smuggler took his time coming down, the blade, still unsheathed, looking awfully threatening. 

“what the hell do you think you’re doing?” dream’s tone was sharp, directed at the newcomer. “stealing from the king like that? do you know what he does to smugglers?” 

“n-no,” his voice was timid, quiet, his posture held in a way that seemed to be protecting himself, or at least trying to. he was stood sideways, like he would begin running away at any second, but his nerves had his feet locked in place. 

dream could only shake his head and sigh, because this guy was scared, terrified, and dream would hate to bring more harsh waves crashing upon him. 

“come,” dream’s head tilted in the way the other two began walking after george assessed his arm. “can’t leave you out here alone.” 

“wha-“ karl was confused but endeared, and he clumsily followed along. 

\- 

sapnap and karl magnetized towards each other. it may have been because of relating trauma, issues, or maybe because george and dream never left the other's side and the two felt left out. 

either way, they spent almost every minute with each other, afraid to leave the other alone. sapnap was quick with a sword, easily protected karl from the lurking creatures and the hunters seeking him out for the hefty reward. 

karl knew of sapnap's thoughts, and he was terrified to lose one of the first friends he'd had in years. they protected each other, only differently. 

they’d shared bits of their life within days, never having shared such intimate things before so quickly. even dream and george didn’t know of some things sapnap had spoken of. 

they’d fall asleep wrapped up in each other, their touch a way of comfort, stability. they’d wake up and whisper in the early morning light, sapnap allowing whoever watched camp the previous night to get some rest, he’d take care of it. 

they wouldn’t lose each other as long as they were together. 

\- 

it was shocking how karl made the first move. they were alone in the house the villagers offered in exchange for protection and a few lessons to the young clerics. george and dream had left not very long ago, but sapnap and karl knew the two wouldn't be back until the sun began to rise. 

"sap," karl had whispered, avoiding looking at the other. 

"hm?" sapnap replied. 

they were sitting on opposite ends of the room, but their hushed tones could be easily heard in the dead of night. 

"have you ever been in love?" 

it was cliche, maybe, starting his confession with that. he may have only been wasting time, building himself up to when he would finally just say it. 

"i don't know if i really know what love is, karl," sapnap's tone was sad, and it broke the older man's heart. 

it implied that no one ever expressed any sort of affection towards the younger, not parents, not family, not friends. 

karl was about to speak, about to take the risk, when sapnap beat him to it. 

"but," he began, pausing to think of how to phrase his next words, "if i can relate myself to how dream and george are around each other, then i'd like to think i understand it, and i'd like to think i've been in love." 

karl paused as well. he thought and thought, mauling his words and trying to think of a way to answer. 

"what if," he stopped. he couldn't do it. his breath quickened and his hands began to shake. 

"yeah?" sapnap asked. 

"what if i taught you how to love?" 

there it was. maybe his words would take a few minutes to fully understand the true meaning, or maybe sapnap understood right away. maybe karl had just lost the bestest friend he'd ever had, or maybe they'd become more. 

"you want to teach me?" he sounded astonished, like no one's ever said such sweet words to him. no one's probably had. 

"i want to love you in every way i can." 

it was completely out there, now. his words could no longer be misunderstood as something else. karl was falling in love with sapnap, and he couldn't deny it to himself anymore. 

"i want to learn how to love, karl. i want you to teach me," his tone was even softer this time, afraid to make this into a reality in fear of something going wrong. 

they found themselves next to each other, as they did each night, but now they shared a gentle kiss, filling their bodies with blitzes of serenity. 

they were asleep within minutes afterwards, soft smiles and whispered goodnights exchanged. 

\- 

"george," dream had mumbled as they sat against a lake's shore, feet toeing the water. 

they had been traveling for months now, and they were almost out of the cruel king's territory. the village they rested at was apart of it, but if it was only ten yards further back, they wouldn't have to worry about taxes or the potential raids from the knights. 

"yeah?" george asked, tilting his head to look at that stupid smiling mask. 

"george," he thought for a moment, bringing his knees to his chest. "i don't ever want to lose you." 

"dream," george sighed. they've had this conversation dozens of times by then, and the elder didn't know why the other was always worried. "you're never going to lose me." 

"when we get into the potato king's land, i'm going to show you my face." he said it like he still had to convince myself. 

and no matter how long george had dreamed of that day, he couldn't just shout out in victory and be happy about it, when dream looked awful. 

"you don't want that," george said, knew it was a fact. 

"i can't keep hiding myself. we'll be safe soon. i won't have an actual reason to keep my mask on besides fearing your reaction." 

"why are you so afraid?” 

“it’ll make sense soon, okay?” dream couldn’t think of a way to explain any further without revealing his true self. 

“okay,” george mumbled and turned away with a frown. 

-

it was an invisible line they crossed, no indication of the separate kingdoms, but dream’s map highlighted the area in bolded red. 

they stepped through at the same time, fingers threaded, wanting it to be a special moment they shared. the weather was the same, the sky a dull grey, but it felt as though the world shifted. 

they breathed easier, the sun seemed to shine brighter, warmth spread through their bodies. 

they were finally free. 

.

they hurried to a mountain chain in the distance, because despite being in a new kingdom, they were still in the outskirts with very few inhabitants. 

anyone looking for them could easily take them down in their moment of bliss. 

they came across a village who seemed heartbroken at their unkempt state. their clothes were dirty, their eyes sunken from lack of sleep, skin littered with little cuts. 

the people were friendlier, warmer, not afraid. they had far more resources: clothes they easily gave away, despite the four’s insistence to them keeping it, a functional bathhouse, and bandages wrapping the worst of their wounds. 

things were lighter here, villagers walking on airy feet, not held down by the weight of the king. 

they were given their own place to sleep, were stuffed with food, and the villagers were appalled when they didn’t take anymore. 

they weren’t used to this treatment. this single village looked to have about everything it would ever need, and the four wondered if all of the other villages in this kingdom were like that. 

they wanted to find out. 

.

they didn’t stay there very long. 

they felt like they were over welcoming their stay, but were still given enough for the road to last months. 

they made a camp at the edge of a river, the village’s lights in view enough for them to not have to worry about creatures. 

they worried about smugglers, though. 

sapnap offered to stay awake. dream unsheathed his sword and laid it next to where the younger rested against a tree. 

sapnap had lost his own to a thief ages ago. 

karl stayed up with him for as long as he could, eyes struggling against his body begging for rest. 

they whispered, as george and dream had fallen asleep within minutes. they laid close to each other, hands reaching out towards the other, but they didn’t touch. 

it was like they were both afraid to make the first move. 

karl eventually fell asleep mid conversation, head rested against sapnap’s thigh, the latter’s hand twisting through his hair. 

they slept beautifully that night, waking up with brighter eyes. even sapnap, running on only minutes of sleep, couldn’t wait to start moving. 

-

george believed dream forgot what he said by that lake. 

it was their third day, and the mask hadn’t moved. 

george didn’t want to press, he really didn’t. 

it was hard not to, though, because dream didn’t forget anything, especially something as important as that, something that he’d worried about since the day they met. 

they were at another village by another lake. 

it seemed to be rehearsed, or maybe in a cliche sense, fate, that the two met outside and sat next to each other, feet toeing the chilly water. 

“remember what i said?” dream started, “the night by that lake?” 

“how could i forget?” the answer was hushed, almost afraid to speak, like he would scare the other off. 

“i’m scared, george,” his voice cracked, and it sounded like tears were brimming his eyes, a threat of a sob heard among the whisper. 

george looked at him with furrowed brows. dream met his gaze with the mesh of the mask’s eyes. 

he reached out, grabbed one of george’s wrists, “you do it.” 

“dream,” george sighed, turned his head away, “i can’t.” 

“if it doesn’t happen tonight, it won’t ever happen.” 

“i’m not forcing you to show me your face,” george was frustrated, jerked his hand free from the grasp. 

“no, george,” dream grabbed him again, gentler this time, “i am forcing you to remove this mask right now, and we’re not leaving until you do.” 

“what is so bad about your face, dream?” 

“george, please,” his voice was layered with desperation and worry, and he tugged the older closer. 

they didn’t speak as george’s hands moved closer, as it gripped the strap laying against his hair, surely going to leave an indent. 

he did it quick, not wasting any time, because he was given the opportunity, the plead to do so. 

their eyes met, green to brown, both brimming with tears of different emotions. 

george imagined how dream had looked dozens of times, but had never been close to the truth. 

and george didn’t know why he was so afraid. dream was pretty, had no reason to hide his face. 

“you,” george said, couldn’t stop himself from cupping his jaw. 

“i’m sorry,” dream’s tears slipped, “i-i’m so sorry. i should’ve told you soon-“ 

“dream,” george cut him off, “what are you on about?” 

“you- george, i’m-“ he studied george’s perturbed face, wanting to lean from his touch, but reveled in it instead, “you- you don’t know who i am?” 

“who you are?” george hesitantly took his hand away, “dream, you’re scaring me? what are you talking about?” 

“i’m,” he struggled to even say it, not wanting to associate himself with his family name, “i- i’m the lost prince.” 

.

time had slowed. 

george leaned further away, eyebrows deepening. 

he chuckled, maybe out of fear, maybe out of confusion, “no you’re not.” 

“why would i hide myself from you for so long?” dream was going to break down any moment, “george- george i love you. i wanted to hold onto you for as long as i could. i know you’ll want to leave.” 

george couldn’t think straight. it made sense, really, the limited backstory he received when asked, and the obvious hiding behind a mask. 

but he wasn’t afraid, didn’t want to run. he was confused, wanted a bit of a better explanation, wanted to know all of him, not just dream. 

“dream,” he didn’t know where to begin, words jumbled, tongue tied, “i’m not leaving you.” 

dream’s raised his head to meet george’s eyes, eyes he could now see clearly. “y-you’re not?” 

“i care so much about you, dream. i could never leave you even if you begged me to do it. you being the lost prince doesn’t change that. i just- i just want to learn all of you now.” 

it was as much affection as dream would get, the closest thing to an “i love you.” 

dream would take it. 

“i- this wasn’t how this was supposed to go,” dream mumbled, but happiness flooded within him, spilling over onto his cheeks, spreading his pretty lips into a pretty grin. 

george couldn’t believe he could finally see it. 

“dream,” george said, leaned closer, reached his hand back to his face. “you’re beautiful.” 

cheeks flushed under his palm. 

george wanted to stay like that forever. 

.

when they did get back up, dream’s mask still held in george’s hand, they walked as close as they could next to each other back to the house they were staying. 

the four had it to themselves, and while it had separate beds for each of them, no one would be sleeping alone that night. 

karl was the first one asleep, as he usually was, laid between sapnap’s legs peacefully. 

dream’s heart was racing, had never stopped racing since he sat on that grass by george. 

sapnap didn’t even raise his head when they entered, too focused on staring down at karl, running his hands through his hair like the older loved. 

“sap,” dream whispered. 

when they locked eyes, sapnap jumped so much karl woke up. 

“dream!” sapnap couldn’t even be bothered to lower his voice, the pure excitement at seeing his face shielded him from doing so. 

dream laughed, but it wavered off when he looked to karl. 

karl knew, it was obvious even in his sleep ridden expression. 

but karl seemed to understand, so he gave a tired smile, no words, and was back asleep not minutes later. 

-

they never stayed in one spot very long, now not with the fear of someone finding them, but in sheer joy to travel a land that seemed forbidden to them months ago. 

dream usually kept his mask on, though, because his anxiousness never fully dwindled. they may have been in a new kingdom, but that didn’t mean someone wouldn’t recognize him. 

and every time dream took the mask off, it was harder for george to hold himself back from just kissing him already. 

he had always wanted to do it, maybe that was one of the reasons he’d stay up late wondering about his face, wonder about the lips he would someday kiss. 

he’d never truly get the confidence, because even if dream said he loved him a million times over, his fear of rejection would hold him back. 

he didn’t think he would actually do it, not until he walked into the bedroom they shared at another village, miles and miles from the border they’d crossed weeks ago now. 

“dream,” george had gasped, not able to hold back his fingers reaching towards the taller’s back. dream flinched at the contact, but relaxed as warm skin soothed his own. 

scars littered his pale skin, beautifully unmarked freckles delineated with jagged whiteness that accumulated over the years. 

the mostly faded ones from when his father got angry, clay not wanting to follow the strict rules set upon him. 

he hadn’t gotten any new ones since entering the potato king’s land. there seemed to be no smugglers here, no knights begging to get in a fight. his blade remained sheathed, his body and clothes knick free. 

“sorry,” george had mumbled not soon after, realizing he had probably overstepped greatly. he removed his hand and went to leave with a flushed face, but dream pulled him back. 

that seemed to be their relationship, push and pull and push and pull. 

he was still shirtless, and george noticed the scar that he’d healed with health potions so many moons ago. 

their eyes met, green to brown. no words were shared, only quiet breaths. 

“george,” dream seemed to gasp, like he couldn’t believe what his own thoughts were telling him to do, “george, can i kiss you?” 

“please,” his answer was whispered, and it wasn’t fully out before their lips met, chapped to chapped. 

there was a moment of bliss, a moment of warmth, a moment of love. 

they were finally free from tyranny, from darkness. 

they’d stepped into the light, into a place they could live how they chose, and not be pets to a cruel king. 

“i love you,” dream said when they leaned back, and maybe he began saying it too soon, maybe he didn’t really know what it was, but he surely knew now. 

“i know,” george said, and though he never explicitly said those three words, his eyes told the truth. 

dream knew the truth, knew all of george. 

and george finally learned all of dream, all of clay.

**Author's Note:**

> if you enjoyed, kudos and a comment would be appreciated :D 
> 
> also, if there’s any mistakes, please feel free to point them out !


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